Staying out of the Hot Sun

Summer is here in full swing. We’re on the last day of a three-day heat wave that’s been hitting 100º. Some may say, “What do you expect? You’re in Arkansas!” I am, but keep in mind that I sat through similar temperatures in the northern states of Montana and Oregon last year. Melissa assures me that while it does get hot here in the summer, it’s not normally this bad, and the forecast for this week confirms it. That’s a good thing, because while my air conditioner is certainly helping, it’s not keeping up with the heat. While 85º inside the van is much better than 100º, it’s still hot, no matter how you look at it. In hindsight, I would’ve bought a more powerful air conditioner, but I had no way of knowing at the time that the small one I got would have trouble cooling such a small space as my van. It’s much better than no AC at all.

This appears to be Bear’s new home. I don’t know how an enormous Great Pyrenees can squeeze into the short ground clearance under my van, but unless he’s out patrolling the property, this is where he hangs out these days. He’ll often pop out and say hi when we’re outside because he likes attention almost as much as Lister.

There usually isn’t much wind here, and certainly nothing like Quartzsite. One morning, though, a bit of a breeze picked up, and I saw the brand new MoonShade poles bending quite a bit under the force. I quickly took them down before they failed like the last ones did. I got them in time, and they suffered no permanent damage. I still needed shade on the side of the van, though, so I reworked the ropes to tie the tarp down directly to the ground. We lost our outdoor hangout area, but at least the van was still in the shade. A couple of days later, after the wind calmed down, I put it back the way it was with the poles in place.

On Saturday we took a motorcycle ride to Devil’s Den State Park. Melissa has been wanting to go camping there, so we used it as a destination to plan a fun loop on the bike, and scouted out the campgrounds to see where we might like to get a site at some point. I didn’t get any pictures from the trip, but Melissa got this shot from the back of the bike as we cruised through the park.

We ended up passing through Fayetteville on the way back. I pulled over at the Arkansas Air and Military Museum. It was closed (I’d like to go back sometime when it’s open), but I pulled up right in front of a C-130 Hercules parked on the other side of the fence and told Melissa all about how those planes used to fly over my house all the time when I was growing up.

We realized we weren’t far from Woods Powersports, so we took a detour over there to show Melissa a different selection of motorcycles and have her sit on some. A sales guy highly recommended the KTM 390 Adventure as a good beginner bike. I have no doubt that he’s right, but it was too tall for her to sit on. Even the Kawasaki KLR650 right next to it was shorter. Then I noticed a KLR650S, a new version that sits two inches lower than the standard KLR. I suggested she try it on for size, and she liked it a lot! I know the KLR is a great beginner bike because it was my beginner bike for dirt riding. It’s actually better suited for the type of riding I do in Arkansas than my V-Strom. I did a little research when we got back, and realized that lowering a used KLR two inches is actually very easy, so that is now the top contender for Melissa’s first motorcycle. I’m not pushing her toward one choice over another, but I strongly approve of the KLR she’s taken a liking to on her own.

I spent yesterday morning putting this beast back on the road. This is their farm truck, which has been sitting for a while, but needed to get pressed back into service due to a problem with one of the kids’ cars. I’ve missed tinkering, and enjoyed the small amount of rehabilitation this one needed. It doesn’t look like much, but it has it where it counts, and is now both mechanically and legally fit for the road again. As a bonus, I’ll be able to use it, too, which will be handy for store runs larger than I can handle on the bike, or the occasional trip to go kayaking, which is something I’ve missed doing this year since it’s so much work to convert the van from house mode to travel mode these days.

Still no big adventures, but we’re plotting and planning. For now, having access to power from the house to run the air conditioner is a good reason to stay parked right where I am. Melissa, of course, is the biggest reason to stay here. I may have more to write about that in a future post.